Section menu

You are here

Prevention of tobacco dependence project (PAD) ceremony held in Varamin, 28 May 2018

(From back left) Mr Valizadeh, Head of the National Tobacco Control Secretariat, (Front row) Dr Ranjbar, Technical Officer at WHO country office, Dr Hamelmann, WHO Representative in Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Mahmoudi, Imam of Friday Prayers, Dr Afshar, co-founder of Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association 3 June 2018 – With the participation of Dr Yousefi, the Governor of Varamin district, Dr Mahmoudi, Imam of Friday Prayers, Professor Masjedi Secretary-General of the Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association, Mr Valizadeh, Head of the National Tobacco Control Secretariat, local authorities, teachers, students and their families, a ceremony was held on 28 May to celebrate the second anniversary of the launch of the PAD project.

“PAD” was designed by the Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association and is being jointly implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Islamic Republic of Iran.

Dr Hamelmann, WHO Representative in Islamic Republic of Iran, meets the local volunteers, or padyarsThe project aims to reduce the use of tobacco products at schools based on the peer-peer education approach. Up until now, more than 4800 students have been trained as volunteers (padyar) and are transfering the message to their family and friends.

Dr Christoph Hamelmann, WHO Representative in Islamic Republic of Iran, attended the event and visited a side exhibition focusing on current tobacco control initiatives in the district of Varamin.

He noted the theme of World No Tobacco Day 2018 “Tobacco and heart disease” and encouraged physicians, health workers, and local health volunteers to educate and raise public awareness regarding the link between tobacco and heart diseases.

Dr Christoph Hamelmann is shown artwork during the exhibitionHe asked the public to make every effort to reduce the health risks to their heart by quitting tobacco, avoiding its use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

In the end, he acknowledged PAD given it is focusing on avoiding initiation of smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, particularly in adolescents. He said that PAD can be a solution to address the increasing trend of smoking in adolescents in the country and that WHO was ready to provide technical support on evaluation, documentation and scale-up of the project.